A Nottinghamshire man has been ordered to pay nearly £2,000 after failing to remove waste from his property. Paul Holmes, of Beeley Avenue, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was given multiple warnings about a large build-up of waste to the rear of his garden after complaints of "smells and pests" at the location.
Upon inspection of the property, officers found a large accumulation of waste which consisted of children's toys, pipes, wood, bikes, crates, barrels and animal cages. Holmes was warned about the issues and advised to remove the waste, but the advice was ignored, Ashfield District Council said.
The council issued him with a Community Protection Notice on May 25. The notice required him to remove the waste from his garden within 14 days.
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However, the authority said Holmes did not comply with the requirements of the notice, which led to the council's community safety team taking legal action to prosecute him. The case was heard at Mansfield Magistrates Court on January 19, where Holmes was convicted under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Holmes was fined £660 for failing to comply with the notice, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £264, and to pay legal costs of £1,070. This came to a total of £1,994 which was ordered to be paid within 28 days. The court also granted the council a remedial order requiring Holmes to remove the waste by February 16.
Councillor Helen-Ann Smith, deputy leader and portfolio holder for community safety and crime reduction, said: "This is another example of the council taking positive action to tackle irresponsible behaviour. The resident showed a total lack of regard by ignoring warnings issued by the council about his waste. We will always try to work with residents to resolve issues like this, however due to the adverse impact this was having, we had no choice but to take the case to court."
She said that three residents have been prosecuted in the last 12 months over environmental-related offences. Cllr Smith added: "We will not tolerate environmental crime of any kind, and this should act as a warning to those who think that they will get away with dumping waste, fly-tipping or littering in our district."
Antonio Taylor, community safety manager at Ashfield District Council, added: "This is another fantastic result by the team to improve the local area. Every resident has a duty of care to ensure that their waste is disposed of correctly and legally. The resident in question failed in this duty of care and the evidence that was gathered by the team to lead a successful prosecution and a recovery of costs."
The council offers a waste collection service for large items, like fridges and freezers, which can be booked here.
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